Do You Really Know Me?
by Nastra1991
Summary: Nick became a con-artist at a young age but everyone doesn't start off being criminals per say. When you're a kid living in a harsh environment, who can you look to? Jump into the crazy childhood of Nick Wilde and how he learned to prove others wrong.
1. Prologue

Just because I was born a fox, doesn't mean I'm bad.

How would you even know I'm up to no good? You don't even know me.

My life has never been easy, and sometimes it still isn't, even after joining the ZPD.

But I get it, sometimes there's nothing you can do to change other people's prejudiced thoughts but you can still make something of yourself. Is it discouraging? Yes. Does it make me angry? Of course.

However, for as long as I have lived, especially in a place like Zootopia, it's not so much a utopia as it is a zoo. Sometimes stereotypes have their reasons like preys being afraid of predators but it doesn't make it right.

Even my Judy, who is my sweetheart and is a rabbit, has (and nevertheless, still does) receive her share of stereotypes thrown at her. Just because she's a rabbit and small in size doesn't mean she isn't assertive or not able to beat that ass when she needs to.

Admittedly, I was guilty of prejudging other animals but it was due to incidences in my life that led me to feel that way.

When they see me, immediately they assume I'm some uneducated, scheming, project bastard ready to rob you of anything you got. Like I said, others still do until I flash that police badge and they quickly hush.

During my conning years, with my good friend Finnick, I didn't see myself necessarily as bad but since people assumed otherwise, I ran with it.

Hustling and conning were the games we played. And I don't regret it because I had to make a living some kind of way. I know what you're thinking, I could have went to college or get a job like everyone else and live a decent life. But, that's not the life for some of us.

When you're a fox, people are fearful and will throw you out of their shops without giving you the opportunity to explain yourself. And as for school? Forget about that, the teachers think you're dumb and need to be in special education and even if you pass with exceptionally great grades, they still would think you cheated.

It has happened to me so many times, I quit school by the time I was 12 and that's one of the reasons why I became a con-artist.

Great, I'm getting ahead of myself. hehe. Well, let me rewind and tell you how I came into this so-called "progressive" society. How I nearly lost myself and I how I made myself into something I'm proud to be to this day.

My story, Nick Wilde's fades them all.


	2. Early days

**A/N- Let me make something clear, this is my interpretation of the character, he's not necessarily going to be exactly like in the movie and secondly, I never said he was from the projects, he's mentioning assumptions that people make of him. Also, you be middle class and live in a harsh environment or coming from a harsh upbringing. Thirdly, it's kind of** **ironic to judge this story never mind the fact that the prologue isn't even 500 words. But I appreciate your comment. BTW, I'm going to try something different and switch from his POV and when telling the story writing it in third person, I hope this works. lol So when you see this (NPOV) It's basically the narrator's POV.**

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Like most mammals in this world, I came out of my mother's womb, with everything in tact.

My fingers, my toes, my bushy orange-reddish tail, my point ears. Yep, I was pretty normal as a baby. My parents couldn't be any happier but happiness never last as long as you want it to.

By the time I was nearing the age of two, my parents divorced and ever since then it was just me and my mother.

My mother was always my protector and someone I always seemed advice from. When I was sad or angry, She was there to make me feel better. She made sure I was well-read prior to starting school and always kept up with my appearance.

My father wasn't around as much as I would have liked for him to be but he did the best he could to try and maintain a relationship with me.

Now, where should I begin…hmm..

I guess I should start with the earliest memories of my life, it was about maybe three or four years old, yeah that's a good way to begin…

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 **(NPOV)**

"Nick! Nick!" His mother was calling for him. "Where did that little mischievous fox go?"

Nick and his mother were in the bodega (convenience store), picking up a few items, like they usually do on Saturday mornings but today the vixen decided to try a new bodega, which was bigger, cleaning, and had more food.

Today, his mother was quite agitated because not only was her son prolonging her stay at the place, as she was ready to buy her things and leave, but he was also not behaving properly.

She was running up and down the aisles, searching for her son and asking other customers if they have seen Nick. Some either said no or simple ignored her. It was typical but she went about her way.

Little did she know, she was almost near the last aisle her little child was, who was small enough to hide in the shelf and placed cereal boxes in front of him to be ready to surprise her. He heard footsteps and his mother's voices coming closer. He had to suppress his snickering so he wouldn't blow his cover.

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde, you have better come out right now or I'm leaving you here!" Even though she said this out of annoyance, she was growing scared and hoped that saying this would work.

Suddenly the cereal boxes were pushed off the shelf and out came the little fox kid she had been looking for 15 minutes straight.

"Here I am, mommy! I was hiding all this time!" Then the boy laughed heartily.

She was just relieved to have found him and felt her breathing steady again but she had no issue snatching Nick by his scrawny arm and hitting him upside his head. He yelped in pain.

"That was a very foolish thing for you to do!" She admonished him, which furthered his embarrassment because he saw from the corner of his eye, other people watching him.

"Don't you ever do that again! You hear?"

The fox looked down at his feet and mumbled with a tear running down his face.

"Yes mommy…"

"Speak up!"

"YES MOMMY!" Then he broke into pathetic sobs.

"Stop all that crying and clean up this mess."

While her son was doing what his mother told him to do, someone tapped her shoulder and when she turned around, it was scared-looking deer, with bottle thick glasses and very thin physique.

"E-e-excuse me ma'am, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave." He told her.

She looked at him and sighed.

"Look, I'm deeply sorry about what my son did, he putting all the boxes back where they belong." She pointed to her son's direction, who continued his duty.

"Yes, I see this…however, I think it's best if you just leave anyway…" The deer clerk turned his face away.

Nick's mother narrowed his eyes at him.

"And why is that my good man?" She did her best to conceal her anger.

The deer was shaking now.

"It's just that…your kind is making others feel uncomfortable and if you can afford to buy your items, I'll gladly ring you up in a hurry so you can be on your way."

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 **TBC**


	3. Things Never Change

**A/N: I hope you like this chapter, this actually hits close to home in some ways. But anyway, enjoy and PM anytime.**

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"It's just that…your kind is making others feel uncomfortable and if you can afford to buy your items, I'll gladly ring you up in a hurry so you can be on your way."

The vixen tilted her head to the side and stared at the deer as if he had grown another head. Mrs. Wilde knew where he was going with this, while Nick put the last box back in its place, oblivious to what was happening between the adults.

She balled up her hand and then relaxed them to her sides, exhaled and began to give the store clerk a good talking to.

"My kind? My kind?" She echoed. "Let me tell you something. I work two jobs to where I live in a decent two story home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, a garage, and a backyard. I also have car that is less than a year old." She slowly gotten closer to the shaking deer.

"I pay my bills on time, sometimes long before the due date and even if I only had only one job, I'm pretty confident I make more than you do as some fucking lowly clerk who more than likely could barely make ends meet."

Nick instantly turned to his mother when he heard her swear.

Her anger was rising the more she continued.

"But, you know what, I'm not even going to go there with you. You already had it in your mind that I was just some mangy, shifty fox who can't afford to shop here or control my kid. And for that, you can forget about getting my money now or ever again you stupid discriminative muthafucka!" She yelled with such bass in her voice that everyone nearby heard her.

The deer clerk gulped and scurried away but it didn't matter. The vixen took her son by the hand and marched out of the place and headed to the parking lot.

"Mommy, why are we leaving? We didn't get anything." Nick questioned in confusion.

"Mommy decided that we should go to another store, that's all."

"But why mommy, I don't understand."

"I know but there's nothing to worry son. I'll even get you your favorite popsicle sticks."

She assured him with a little smile and went back to finding her car, internally, she was so fustrated that she couldn't remember where she parked but it didn't take long for her to find. The two hopped in and left.

About an hour later, the mother and son pulled up to the driveway and then into the garage and the they both took in the groceries and placed them in the kitchen.

Little Nick was about to unpack until Mrs. Wilde told him to go to his room and play.

"Are you sure mommy?" He looked at her with his big emerald eyes. "I like helping you."

"It's ok baby, just go and play, mommy can do this."

"Oh ok." He shrugged and went about his business.

When she thought he was no longer around, she put every item either in the fridge or cabinet and then started making lunch. That was when she felt herself get heated again.

She still couldn't believe in this day and age that things like this were still happening to her. Times have changed but people's opinions on others haven't. She went through this as a child but she had never thought her son would have to deal with it also.

She had worked so hard to be a productive citizen and hoped to swayed people away from from those hurtful stereotypes.

As a grown vixen it didn't bother so much but, what broke her heart the most was when that ignorant deer had the nerve to fix his mouth and spew that mess in front of her toddler son.

While thinking of this, she mixed the tuna, mayonnaises, and relish together for the sandwiches. Then once she was finished and placed it on the dining table along with her son'e favorite fruit juice, she sat down for a bit and stare of into space.

Why do people have to be so mean and tear others down?

Are foxes not like everyone else? Are they not animals who just want a good home, love, and care? Do they not have feelings?

She felt the water building up in her eyes and then she placed her face into her hands and weeped softly.

What she didn't realized was that Nick was peeking around the corner of the kitchen entrance and sadly witnessed his mother's grief, with his ears flat and tail between his little legs.


End file.
